Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100700
Melania Riefolo , Sina Grosskopf , Jan-Philipp Ahrens
This article puts forward a concept of the organization as a mind-like, intelligent entity capable of efficiently responding to environmental stimuli. Such an entity-centric view offers a more coherent theoretical basis for predicting the ways in which different organizational factors may shape organizational behavior. We apply this logic to the context of sustainability in family firms, where previous research shows mixed results, possibly due to the omission of confounding factors such as organizational age. Using large-scale data and spaceborne-validated AI metrics on sustainability, we find that both organizational age and family influence independently exhibit negative relationships with sustainability outcomes. We discuss the implications for future theorizing and suggest avenues for further research in management, family business, and the broader exploration of human and artificial agency in organizations.
{"title":"The organization as an intelligent entity: Using artificial intelligence to explore the sustainability of family and non-family firms","authors":"Melania Riefolo , Sina Grosskopf , Jan-Philipp Ahrens","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article puts forward a concept of the organization as a mind-like, intelligent entity capable of efficiently responding to environmental stimuli. Such an entity-centric view offers a more coherent theoretical basis for predicting the ways in which different organizational factors may shape organizational behavior. We apply this logic to the context of sustainability in family firms, where previous research shows mixed results, possibly due to the omission of confounding factors such as organizational age. Using large-scale data and spaceborne-validated AI metrics on sustainability, we find that both organizational age and family influence independently exhibit negative relationships with sustainability outcomes. We discuss the implications for future theorizing and suggest avenues for further research in management, family business, and the broader exploration of human and artificial agency in organizations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 100700"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-03DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100699
Christina Strauss , Arist von Schlippe , Franz W. Kellermanns
This study investigates conflict markers that occur during online communication in business families. Our findings identified eleven different markers that point to escalating conflict. We not only confirmed the applicability of Gottman’s conflict markers (1994) to the business family realm, we also identified unique markers in the realm of digital communication as well as specific markers in the context of business families. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
{"title":"Navigating conflict in business families: Conflict markers in digital communication","authors":"Christina Strauss , Arist von Schlippe , Franz W. Kellermanns","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates conflict markers that occur during online communication in business families. Our findings identified eleven different markers that point to escalating conflict. We not only confirmed the applicability of Gottman’s conflict markers (1994) to the business family realm, we also identified unique markers in the realm of digital communication as well as specific markers in the context of business families. Implications and future research directions are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 100699"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100701
Isabelle Le Breton-Miller, Danny Miller
The global climate crisis has proven to be a defining challenge of our age, exacerbated by lackluster efforts to address it. This neglect is in part due to the long-term nature of its consequences for victims who are typically unspecified, anonymous, or distant. Many ESG initiatives are subject to similar biases against choices favoring outcomes that are temporally and socially distant. We examine how such biases may affect ESG decisions in family firms, looking in turn at the influence of familial, firm, and contextual factors on environmental, social and governance outcomes. Greater attention to these temporal and social biases may help to disentangle findings and inform future research on the ESG initiatives of family firms.
{"title":"Temporal and social distance in family firm ESG","authors":"Isabelle Le Breton-Miller, Danny Miller","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100701","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100701","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global climate crisis has proven to be a defining challenge of our age, exacerbated by lackluster efforts to address it. This neglect is in part due to the long-term nature of its consequences for victims who are typically unspecified, anonymous, or distant. Many ESG initiatives are subject to similar biases against choices favoring outcomes that are temporally and socially distant. We examine how such biases may affect ESG decisions in family firms, looking in turn at the influence of familial, firm, and contextual factors on environmental, social and governance outcomes. Greater attention to these temporal and social biases may help to disentangle findings and inform future research on the ESG initiatives of family firms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 100701"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145802083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/S1877-8585(25)00051-8
{"title":"Acknowledgement to ad-hoc reviewers 2025","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1877-8585(25)00051-8","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1877-8585(25)00051-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100710"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100698
Christian Neusser
A family business succession involves more than just a change in control. Drawing from plant succession ecology, a new model reconceptualizes generational changes as cycles of disruption, adaptation, and renewal. Integrating the pioneer–climax with the dynamic equilibrium model demonstrates how family firms balance innovation with legacy preservation. Succession is not a fixed sequence but a rhythm of strategic shifts influenced by internal and external factors. Five mechanisms capture enduring continuity: adaptive governance, leadership selection based on vetted competencies, institutionalized innovation, disruption as a renewing force, and dynamic equilibrium. These findings combine ecological resilience with governance at the firm level, expanding family business theory. Other implications include governance designed to absorb shocks, creating position pipelines based on merit, and embedding mechanisms to foster innovation within established traditions. Testing the framework across industries and cultures, integrating it with empirical models of resilience, and examining macro or technological drivers of shifts in succession outcomes would further advance this research.
{"title":"Ecological succession as a model for family business transitions: Integrating organizational ecology with succession-based governance in multigenerational enterprises","authors":"Christian Neusser","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A family business succession involves more than just a change in control. Drawing from plant succession ecology, a new model reconceptualizes generational changes as cycles of disruption, adaptation, and renewal. Integrating the pioneer–climax with the dynamic equilibrium model demonstrates how family firms balance innovation with legacy preservation. Succession is not a fixed sequence but a rhythm of strategic shifts influenced by internal and external factors. Five mechanisms capture enduring continuity: adaptive governance, leadership selection based on vetted competencies, institutionalized innovation, disruption as a renewing force, and dynamic equilibrium. These findings combine ecological resilience with governance at the firm level, expanding family business theory. Other implications include governance designed to absorb shocks, creating position pipelines based on merit, and embedding mechanisms to foster innovation within established traditions. Testing the framework across industries and cultures, integrating it with empirical models of resilience, and examining macro or technological drivers of shifts in succession outcomes would further advance this research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100698"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100697
Clemens Christian Krüger , Christian-Titus Klaiber , Reinhard Prügl
This study examines how single family offices (SFOs) can serve as vessels for preserving business family identity (BFI) in both the presence and absence of operating family firms. Through a configurational analysis of survey data from 51 German SFOs, we identify nine distinct pathways through which business families preserve their distinctive identity. We demonstrate that BFI preservation is achievable through various configurations of asset management strategies, governance structures, and service intensity. The study indicates the equifinal nature of identity preservation, demonstrating how both stand-alone and hybrid SFOs can achieve similar BFI preservation outcomes through different mechanisms. These findings advance our understanding of how business families preserve their entrepreneurial identity in diverse organizational contexts.
{"title":"Business family identity in single family offices – A configurational approach","authors":"Clemens Christian Krüger , Christian-Titus Klaiber , Reinhard Prügl","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how single family offices (SFOs) can serve as vessels for preserving business family identity (BFI) in both the presence and absence of operating family firms. Through a configurational analysis of survey data from 51 German SFOs, we identify nine distinct pathways through which business families preserve their distinctive identity. We demonstrate that BFI preservation is achievable through various configurations of asset management strategies, governance structures, and service intensity. The study indicates the equifinal nature of identity preservation, demonstrating how both stand-alone and hybrid SFOs can achieve similar BFI preservation outcomes through different mechanisms. These findings advance our understanding of how business families preserve their entrepreneurial identity in diverse organizational contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100697"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100623
Jochim G. Lauterbach
In the light of the large number of signals found empirically to predict firms’ stock returns, some researchers in this field speak of data mining. To avoid this, newly proposed so-called return predicting signals should be based on a theoretical foundation. Building on research on identity and entrepreneurial orientation, I propose that firm status (i.e., “founder CEO” and “family” firms) is a viable signal that predicts part of firms’ stock returns. My results suggest that a “founder CEO firm” indicator has predictive value for explaining part of the cross-section of stock returns while controlling for established risk factors, whereas a “family firm” indicator does not. Additionally, the performance of a risk factor created from a “founder CEO firm” indicator cannot be explained by the common risk factors currently used. Finally, the results from a mean-variance spanning test suggest that it would be beneficial to include a “founder CEO firm” risk factor in the set of common risk factors currently established in the asset pricing literature. My results have several implications for both research and practice.
{"title":"Family firms, founders, and the cross-section of stock returns","authors":"Jochim G. Lauterbach","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100623","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100623","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the light of the large number of signals found empirically to predict firms’ stock returns, some researchers in this field speak of data mining. To avoid this, newly proposed so-called return predicting signals should be based on a theoretical foundation. Building on research on identity and entrepreneurial orientation, I propose that firm status (i.e., “founder CEO” and “family” firms) is a viable signal that predicts part of firms’ stock returns. My results suggest that a “founder CEO firm” indicator has predictive value for explaining part of the cross-section of stock returns while controlling for established risk factors, whereas a “family firm” indicator does not. Additionally, the performance of a risk factor created from a “founder CEO firm” indicator cannot be explained by the common risk factors currently used. Finally, the results from a mean-variance spanning test suggest that it would be beneficial to include a “founder CEO firm” risk factor in the set of common risk factors currently established in the asset pricing literature. My results have several implications for both research and practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100623"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100695
Maria Carmela Annosi , Mathew Hughes , Davide de Gennaro , Roberta Oppedisano , Filomena Buonocore
Technology adoption in family firms (FFs) often brings unique challenges, particularly in multigenerational contexts where generational differences shape decision-making and strategic priorities. This study examines the dynamics of cognitive conflicts arising during technology adoption in FFs, focusing on their sources, amplification mechanisms, resolution strategies, and long-term reconciliation processes. Using a qualitative multiple-case study of seven agricultural FFs in Southern Italy, the findings highlight generational differences in risk perception, resource allocation, and managerial vision as crucial antecedents of conflict. Conflict resolution strategies, such as translational roles played by younger family members, the formation of internal alliances, and decision postponement during heightened tensions, are identified as critical enablers of successful technology adoption. This research advances understanding of the interplay between generational dynamics and innovation processes in FFs, contributing to family business and conflict management literature. Practical implications emphasize the importance of fostering intergenerational dialogue, leveraging knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and engaging external stakeholders to navigate the complexities of technology adoption effectively. The study concludes by calling for further research to explore these dynamics across different industries and cultural contexts to enhance the transferability of the findings.
{"title":"Bridging generations: Managing cognitive conflicts during technology adoption in multigenerational family firms","authors":"Maria Carmela Annosi , Mathew Hughes , Davide de Gennaro , Roberta Oppedisano , Filomena Buonocore","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100695","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100695","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Technology adoption in family firms (FFs) often brings unique challenges, particularly in multigenerational contexts where generational differences shape decision-making and strategic priorities. This study examines the dynamics of cognitive conflicts arising during technology adoption in FFs, focusing on their sources, amplification mechanisms, resolution strategies, and long-term reconciliation processes. Using a qualitative multiple-case study of seven agricultural FFs in Southern Italy, the findings highlight generational differences in risk perception, resource allocation, and managerial vision as crucial antecedents of conflict. Conflict resolution strategies, such as translational roles played by younger family members, the formation of internal alliances, and decision postponement during heightened tensions, are identified as critical enablers of successful technology adoption. This research advances understanding of the interplay between generational dynamics and innovation processes in FFs, contributing to family business and conflict management literature. Practical implications emphasize the importance of fostering intergenerational dialogue, leveraging knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and engaging external stakeholders to navigate the complexities of technology adoption effectively. The study concludes by calling for further research to explore these dynamics across different industries and cultural contexts to enhance the transferability of the findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 100695"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145475628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-18DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100686
Viktoria Luft , Anne Katarina Heider , Heinrich Liechtenstein , Tarek el Sehity
This study investigates how values are co-created, transformed, and sustained across generations in business families by introducing the concept of family value composites—dynamic configurations of shared values shaped through intergenerational interaction. Challenging the traditional view of values as static assets transmitted top-down, we adopt a processual and dialogical lens to explore how values evolve in lived family-business contexts. Based on 23 interviews across eight Austrian business families and using theory elaboration, we identify four key relational processes—mutual recognition, negotiation, adoption, and reinterpretation—that structure value co-creation. These processes lead to two outcomes: value continuity and value inversion, which together form coherent yet evolving family value composites. Our findings reconceptualize value transmission as dialogical co-creation, highlighting how younger generations engage critically with inherited values, sustaining some while reconfiguring others. The study contributes to family business theory by linking developmental and organizational perspectives and offers practical implications for succession and governance by emphasizing the importance of relational engagement in building enduring, meaningful family legacies.
{"title":"From transmission to co-creation: Understanding family value composites in multigenerational business families","authors":"Viktoria Luft , Anne Katarina Heider , Heinrich Liechtenstein , Tarek el Sehity","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how values are co-created, transformed, and sustained across generations in business families by introducing the concept of family value composites—dynamic configurations of shared values shaped through intergenerational interaction. Challenging the traditional view of values as static assets transmitted top-down, we adopt a processual and dialogical lens to explore how values evolve in lived family-business contexts. Based on 23 interviews across eight Austrian business families and using theory elaboration, we identify four key relational processes—mutual recognition, negotiation, adoption, and reinterpretation—that structure value co-creation. These processes lead to two outcomes: value continuity and value inversion, which together form coherent yet evolving family value composites. Our findings reconceptualize value transmission as dialogical co-creation, highlighting how younger generations engage critically with inherited values, sustaining some while reconfiguring others. The study contributes to family business theory by linking developmental and organizational perspectives and offers practical implications for succession and governance by emphasizing the importance of relational engagement in building enduring, meaningful family legacies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100686"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Corporate venturing initiatives are crucial for the survival, profitability, and growth of family firms. Although research on corporate venturing in family firms has expanded significantly over the past decades, it remains fragmented and conceptually inconsistent. To address these gaps, this systematic literature review comprehensively maps and integrates the existing research on corporate venturing in family firms, focusing on antecedents, intervening factors, outcomes, and their interrelationships. The review specifically considers the intertwined family, ownership, and business levels that together form the social system in which corporate venturing is embedded. Based on this analysis, the review offers several recommendations and suggests potential directions to advance the field further.
{"title":"Corporate venturing in family firms: A systematic literature review and future research agenda","authors":"Michela Bearzi , Daniel Pittino , Francesca Visintin , Cinzia Battistella","doi":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Corporate venturing initiatives are crucial for the survival, profitability, and growth of family firms. Although research on corporate venturing in family firms has expanded significantly over the past decades, it remains fragmented and conceptually inconsistent. To address these gaps, this systematic literature review comprehensively maps and integrates the existing research on corporate venturing in family firms, focusing on antecedents, intervening factors, outcomes, and their interrelationships. The review specifically considers the intertwined family, ownership, and business levels that together form the social system in which corporate venturing is embedded. Based on this analysis, the review offers several recommendations and suggests potential directions to advance the field further.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47661,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Family Business Strategy","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 100685"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144840996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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